United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby’s Wealth Tax Proposal Contradicts His Business Strategy

Few chief executives have hitched their fortunes to affluent consumers as enthusiastically as chief Scott Kirby. So, it’s especially rich that Kirby is now calling for a .

Since taking the helm at United in 2020, Kirby, who earned more than $30 million last year, has focused the carrier on delivering upgrades to travelers willing to pay more. As he’s fond of saying, “air travel is not a commodity.” Consumers may have noticed. Domestic airfares have jumped 35 percent this year. Holiday travelers face the highest ticket prices in a decade.

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Michael Toth

Michael Toth is the director of research at the Civitas Institute at the University of Texas at Austin.

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Few chief executives have hitched their fortunes to affluent consumers as enthusiastically as chief Scott Kirby. So, it’s especially rich that Kirby is now calling for a .

Since taking the helm at United in 2020, Kirby, who earned more than $30 million last year, has focused the carrier on delivering upgrades to travelers willing to pay more. As he’s fond of saying, “air travel is not a commodity.” Consumers may have noticed. Domestic airfares have jumped 35 percent this year. Holiday travelers face the highest ticket prices in a decade.